July 7th
by starchaserxonea
Summary: Wendy was pissed, Gajeel was silent, Natsu was reminiscing and Lucy was grieving. How the Dragon Slayers and Lucy deal with July 7th. Rated T for Gajeel's cussing.
1. Wendy's Anger

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail – Hiro Mashima has all the rights._

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Wendy was sitting down in her room at Fairy Hills. She had told Carla to go ahead to Fairy Tail; she needed time alone. The Exceed had understood, telling her to be safe, and flew out of her window. The bluenette had been sitting with her knees up to her chest since Carla left, and Wendy has barely been holding back the tears that threatened to spill over.

_I shouldn't be feeling like this._

Wendy rubbed at her brown eyes with her small hands, sniffling.

_She left without a word._

A small flame seemed to flicker in her stomach, causing tears to slide down her pale cheeks slowly.

_She left me… all alone._

The flame quickly grew to an inferno, and soon enough she was engulfed in an uncharacteristic rage. It was raining outside – probably due to Juvia's distress – and she suddenly hated it. She hated the gray clouds, she hated the way the trees were blowing in the wind – she just hated it.

Wendy stood abruptly and ran out of her room, leaving her door wide open, and flew out of the entrance, running down the cobblestone road that leads to the forest just outside of Magnolia. The dragon slayer could care less that her hair was quickly drenched, or that her dress was clinging to her small frame; all she wanted to do was find a way to get rid of this fire that was burning her up from the inside out. Sprinting down a familiar street, she barely registered that this was near Lucy's home, as her bare feet smacked against the wet pavement. Her mind was just as chaotic as the wind that was picking up in speed, threatening to blow her away.

_I was all alone out there, until she took me._

Wendy picked her speed up until she was flying down that straight road. A part of her wanted to jump into the canal next to her – another part wanted to let the hurricane-force winds carry her away. The strongest part of her kept her pale legs moving rhythmically, her mind screaming to go faster.

_She made me fall in love with her._

Wendy's tears streaked down her face, mixing with rivulets of rain water. Her navy hair was flying around her; she continued running until she could barely breathe – and she collapsed against a tree, gasping for air.

_I loved her._

Wendy stood up, and ignoring her protesting legs, started to punch the tree. Slowly at first, but quickly she gained confidence and started beating the tree senseless, screaming unintelligent profanities at the sky.

"_Why?!" _She shouted, kicking the tree with the bottom of her bare, bleeding foot. "I just want to know _why!" _Her voice cracked on the last word, and with one last, resounding punch, the tree cracked right beneath her fist – leaving a bloodstained, child-sized imprint of knuckles. She suddenly stepped back and clutched her bleeding hand to her chest. Her anger-fueled adrenaline suddenly fizzed away, leaving her with wide, teary eyes and bleeding limbs.

"I'm sorry," Wendy whispered, staring at the tree in horror. "I'm so… I'm so _sorry…"_ She mumbled, glancing down at her hands. The blue-haired mage dropped to her knees and tilted her back to look at the sky, letting the water fall down onto her face and mix with her hot tears. Her face was twisted into an expression of agony, finally letting the despair she had been feeling bubble up. Wendy's brown eyes slipped closed as more tears dripped down her cheeks.

Very softly, she let one, broken word pass through her lips.

"_Grandine."_

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_A/N: I was pretty sad while writing this. All I imagined was little Wendy crying during the Cait Shelter scene, when they all disappeared, except this time she had no Erza to comfort her – mostly cause she wanted to deal with this alone, that's why she sent Carla away (who I imagine is going to be quite pissed about her bloodied body parts). Anyways, that's how I imagine Wendy might feel on the inside on July 7__th__. Next is Gajeel! Reviews are candy, please leave me some! Lol 3_


	2. Gajeel's Silence

_Hey y'all sexy beasts. This is the second installment of the July 7__th__ series I'm working on. Thank you for all of the positive feedback, it seriously made my day! I promise that these will get longer (the longest will probably be the last). So, here you go!_

_By the way… I don't own Fairy Tail – Hiro Mashima owns it all… if only… *shakes head sadly*_

* * *

Gajeel sat silently on a tree branch, in the rain, glaring out over Magnolia. Every time he looked at this damned city he would feel some stupid, sappy emotion. Like right now, he was feeling happy just _looking _in the direction of the fucking guild. Growling, the dragon slayer lied back on the branch with his red eyes glaring pointedly up at the gray sky, which was weeping silently.

It was too obvious to him: this was Juvia's rain.

Gajeel knew this because he was "close friends" with the overly-emotional water mage. At least, that's what everyone else called them. He didn't care if they were considered "close friends" or sworn enemies by everyone in the damn world; all he knew was that they protected each other – that was enough for him.

But today, Gajeel didn't care about anyone in particular, not even his shorty. Sighing, his mind flashed back to the huge black, metal-plated dragon and frowned. Metalicana was a selfish bastard, so how come Gajeel had a weird pang in his chest every time he thought of the big, winged beast? Sure, he had taken him in, but _damn, _the asshole had made him work for every scrap of meat thrown his way – and in a way, Gajeel was thankful for that. It made him understand that things didn't come free in life.

Even at that young of an age, though, Gajeel had already learned that lesson the hard way.

So how come, even with all of Metalicana's bitching and shit, Gajeel couldn't feel anything but love and admiration to the great beast? Growling with softly, he stretched his right arm above his hand and spread his fingers wide, staring at his metal-studded gloved hand framed by pine tree branches and gray skies. Stray rain drops fell onto his face, and slowly he felt his clothes growing cold and wet – but he didn't mind.

Today was the only day in the year that Gajeel bothered to sit down and _think. _He let the silence of nature overwhelm his heightened senses and he just stayed put. Perched somewhere, anywhere, where there wasn't anyone around.

Gajeel set this day aside for him and Metalicana – but mostly for himself since the damn dragon was a selfish little bitch.

Gajeel grinned wryly.

_I'm really an ungrateful prick, aren't I, Metalicana?_

The iron dragon slayer thought about more than just his dragon, though. He also thought about Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord, past regrets… Levy. This is the only place he'd actually use her name: in his own mind. Gajeel sighed heavily and let his hand drop wearily to his side.

_Levy…_

… The little ball of sunshine that this shadow of a man claimed for himself; the only person who could meet his red eyes and still smile. Levy was the light contradicting his darkness, and he'd be damned if he let her lap dogs drool all over his girl. Gajeel cringed and pulled an iron bolt out of his pocket, stuffing into his mouth and started chewing furiously.

"Since when did I become such a softy?" He growled between chews. The rain seemed to pick up speed and now it was downright pouring on him. As much as Gajeel hated getting wet – he liked the rain. Mostly because of Juvia; she changed his opinion of it back in Phantom Lord. The dragon slayed swallowed the iron and sighed again when he realized that his only two friends in the guild were both romantic, dorky girls.

How come he couldn't find the energy to give a damn?

Grinning, Gajeel flipped onto his side and tucked his arm under his head, wincing a little when the metal studs on his forearm scratched his cheek a little. He let the rain pummel him from head to toe, and it was raining so hard that sheets of it came down, blocking Magnolia from even his sharp eyes. His hair was limp and was hanging all around him, his spikes now falling forward and falling into his line of sight, annoying him. Muttering unintelligently, he swatted it away with his hand, frowning when the hair just bounced back into place. Giving up, he stared out over that _damned _town where he found that _damned _guild who reminded him what it felt like to be needed.

And Gajeel had to say… he didn't mind it too much.

In fact, Gajeel had grown to admire and respect this guild.

So why did his stomach feel like it was on fire when he thought this, and how come his cheeks were flushed when the little blue-haired bookworm popped into his mind? Sighing, he rolled onto his back again and stared back up at the now-nearly-black-sky, but closed them when the rain started to sting his eyes. He let the cold water wash away the evidence of his blush.

"You know, Metalicana," He muttered gruffly, furrowing his metal-studded brows. "Maybe you _actually _taught me something useful, you old bastard."

But still, he smiled.

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_A/N: Whew, this was actually fun to write! But it was pretty hard at the same time; I didn't want him to be too out of character, and I think I did an okay job but… yea. Just tell me how y'all liked it! Thanks! And thank you for all of the positive feedback on the first chapter (I know I said that at the beginning but OMG THANK YOU)! O/O _

**Jellawesome777: **_Thank you for the candy! And here it is; I hope you liked it. :3_

**GoldenRoseTanya: **_I might throw a little NaLu in… who knows? *wink wink*;)_

**Beatress: **_Yes I do think July 7__th__ has a lot of coincidences; and I hope he tells us soon enough! (but knowing him, he won't! xD)_

**Animestorywriter: **_I'm happy you liked it. :3_


	3. Natsu's Memories

_I still don't own Fairy Tail *sighs*_

* * *

Natsu sat on the window sill in his house, alone, ever since he sent Happy away to the guild. The little Exceed didn't want to leave his best friend, but understood why Natsu needed to be alone today. And so, Happy soared away in the light rain with a fresh fish in his mouth and Natsu watched him until he was obscured by rain and the cloudiness in Natsu's eyes.

"You know," He said to know one in particular, shifting his focus away from Magnolia and instead staring up at the gray skies. "I miss you; but not as much anymore. Is that weird, Igneel? Or is that what friends do to you?" Natsu may be smart in fighting, but when it came to talking or thinking… he wasn't as good at it as others. Sure, he knew happiness, sadness, sorrow, love… but he had trouble identifying them and reacting to them. Sighing, the pink-haired boy frowned at the sky as he recalled the last time he saw the huge red dragon.

"_Don't worry, Natsu," Igneel had said, unfurling the massive wings that Natsu had long-since gotten used to. "I'll be back eventually; don't worry." And his son heard a loud rumbling in the dragon's chest that he'd come to associate with affection._

"_I won't!" He yelled as the beast took off into the clear sky. "I promise!" Natsu waved his small hand as Igneel became smaller and smaller – eventually disappearing all together. _

Natsu smiled as he remembered his last words; but it was a sad smile.

"I guess I broke my promise, eh, Igneel?" He muttered softly, grabbing the edge of his scarf and twirling the end between his fingers deftly. "I probably should've taken your last piece of advice to heart." The rain started to pick up in ferocity now, and Natsu frowned up at the sky. He didn't normally like rain, because he was fire and it didn't mix well, but since the water mage joined the guild, he'd been a little quieter about his dislike for the element. And since it was raining, he immediately thought of Gray, and his hand lit on fire.

"Damn Ice Princess," He muttered, extinguishing the bright, small flame but letting a smile pull at the corners of his lips. Natsu cleared his throat. "You know, dad… I don't really know what to do anymore. I mean, I know I need to go on missions and laugh and be with my guild, but I mean… what am I supposed to do about you? Should I keep looking?" He asked to nobody in particular, still watching the freezing rain pummel the grass outside, nearly flattening it.

_You know, I miss you. I miss the way you'd fly me around and tell me stories and I just really miss you._

Natsu let his mind drift to the things he wasn't currently missing: Like a team! That Ice Princess, Erza – Natsu shuddered softly -, Happy and… Lucy. The fire dragon slayer smiled fondly at the thought of the boisterous blonde girl. She always made him happy, her sweet strawberry and vanilla scent really felt like home to him now. Her apartment was practically his second home – or first, since he spent more time than he did in his actual house – but it didn't matter either way, it let him spend more time with her regardless. Frowning, Natsu let go of his scarf and watched as it blew in the sharp wind that was currently blowing rain in from outside. Grumbling, the mage hopped off of the sill and shut the window, walking over to his fireplace and lighting it up, before sitting down cross-legged on the rug in front of it; content.

Staring into the orange, red and yellow flames, the young dragon slayer felt like he was back with Igneel, stretching out after a long day of training by the fire, listening to his stories. Looking back, Natsu hated the fact that he thought his stories were boring and old, because if he had actually bothered listening… he might've known more about the dragon. Sighing, he flopped backwards and put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the thunder mixing with the crackling of flames.

"Igneel… I have a home here now. I have friends; a family. I really miss you, and I wish you were around still, but…" Natsu faltered as his voice cracked slightly, but he quickly covered it with a cough even though he was alone. "… but I just wanted to thank you… dad," He whispered the last word softly. His eyes were drooping as the sound of rain drops landing heavily on the rooftop lulled him, along with the warmth of the fire. Just before he fell asleep, one last memory surfaced.

"_You know, Natsu, when you're older you'll have many regrets." The little pink haired boy just cocked his head and frowned, his spiky hair flopped slightly to the side, but he didn't say anything; just waited for the dragon to continue. "One day you'll fall in love, get married, maybe even have a kid of your own," His yellow eyes bored into Natsu's own onyx ones' seriously. _

"_One day, Natsu, you'll experience heartbreak, and it will be painful, it will hurt; but in the end… it would be worth it," He rumbled, his gaze unwavering. "But then you will find family, friends, loves, companions…" Natsu interrupted at this point, shaking his head wildly and stamping his small feet (which were sparking)._

"_Nuh-uh! You're my family, Igneel! You're all I'll ever need!" He rushed forward and held onto a thick paw and Igneel rumbled softly and laid his head near Natsu, eyeing him with amusement._

"_You say that now because, as of right now, it is true. I am all that you currently need – but Natsu, you must understand… life does indeed change. You will grow up and you will no longer need my guidance." Natsu just shook his head frantically._

"_You're wrong! You're my dad – I'll always need your guidance!" He muttered, holding onto him a little tighter. Igneel went to speak, but Natsu beat him to it. "Can we please just go to sleep?" He pleaded. "I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight." Igneel's eyes showed that he disapproved, but gently lifted Natsu with his massive leg over to his little bedroll near the fire and laid his head next to him. The last thing Natsu remembers is a large, yellow eye staring at him sadly._

Natsu's eyes opened, and he rolled over onto his stomach, pressing the side of his face into the rough fabric of the rug.

"You tried to warn me; I guess I really am an idiot, ne, dad?" He mumbled softly while rubbing his dark eyes tiredly. Slowly, he drifted into sleep with one thought on his mind:

_Life does indeed change._

* * *

_Whew, that was fun. I think Natsu would be the one to reminisce about his memories with Igneel, but that's just my opinion. I hope you all like it! I enjoyed writing this – I'm sorry if it seemed a little rushed, just wanted to release it today before I passed out on my couch. So yea! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews. _

_**YamiHinata: **__I wanted to add them in because I felt their relationship is quite important to Gajeel – even if he doesn't say it too much. :P And I hope that's a good "I was surprised" and not a bad one! But honestly, I can see what you mean; Gajeel isn't a smiley person at all, but I just wanted to change it up a bit. And who knows, maybe that's exactly what Gajeel is like when he's alone! :P (wow that was a long response, jeez, sorry! xD)_

_**Animestorywriter: **__;)_

_**Beatress: **__Thank you! 3_


	4. Lucy's Grieving

_Still don't own Fairy Tail… _yet_. Gihihi._

* * *

Lucy was sitting on her tan rug staring at the letters scattered before her. She did this every year. She would take out all of the letters she wrote to her mother and she would read them. Every anniversary of Layla's death, Lucy would write a new letter… but with her father's death being so recent, she didn't know if she could actually handle writing to her mother.

Picking up a letter she wrote nearly a few… no, it was eight years ago, even though it only felt like a few months. Lucy opened it with a shaky hand and slowly slipped out the faint pink paper.

_Dear mom, _

_ I just got back from my first mission with Natsu – wow, it was crazy! Except, Natsu started to melt Taurus' axe and then he ate it… I know; he's weird. Plus he has pink hair and a flying cat. But then again, everyone in Fairy Tail is insane. They fight all of the time! And Mira is just too sweet. _

Lucy smiled softly when she saw her crude doodle of Mira with hearts floating of her head.

_But Happy (Natsu's cat) is adorable! He's blue and has the most beautiful wings – mom, if you could see him you'd melt. Erza's amazing too, except… don't touch her strawberry cake. Bad things will happen. And Gray is just half-naked or naked all of the time. I don't know why yet – I'm sure there's a perfectly plausible reason – but honestly… I'm not complaining. He's not bad too look at._

_Anyways, mom, I have to go now. Natsu's banging on my window and Happy's throwing fish at it. I'll write to you again soon! I love you._

_ -Your daughter, Lucy_

Lucy slowly folded the letter back up and smiled a little bit. She slid it back in its envelope and threw it back in the large pile. The blonde mage stood up and stepped over the large pile of letters, sitting down at her desk and pulling out a piece of paper along her pen and the inkwell. Biting her lip, she started to write down her thoughts.

_Hey mom,_

_ You know, it's been a while… well, that's an understatement, seeing as how it's been seven years. Magnolia hasn't changed too much, but the guild has. Everyone's aged so much… Bisca and Alzack finally got married. They even have a kid! Oh, and she's so cute – her name is Asuka. It really fits her. And Romeo… wow. He was six when I last saw him, and now he's _twelve_! Wakaba and Macao (he has graying hair!) have aged considerably, and the latter was even the guild master. Jet and Droy have changed – probably their heart's hardening after they thought Levy had died with us on the island..._

Lucy chewed on the end of her pen as her brow furrowed in concentration.

_ I miss you. And every time I think of you… at first it's a few good memories – then it just hurts. It hurts because you died before I could really get to know you; most of the stories I know are from Capricorn. Dad fell apart after you died. I think he ignored me because we looked so much alike. And honestly – who could blame him? It'd hurt pretty bad if the situation was reversed I guess. But ever since you left, mom… it feels like there's been a black hole in my chest sucking up everything. However, no tears will fall. I don't know why; I don't know if it's because I just didn't know you well enough, or maybe I'm just numb, but mom... _

The tip of Lucy's pen broke and she jumped, glancing at it, annoyed. She threw it in the wastebasket and opened a drawer on her desk, trying to ignore how her hand was shaking, and grabbed a new one. The blonde dipped it in the ink and tried to focus on this letter… she really wanted to finish it – even if her eyes were stinging and her whole body seemed to be trembling.

_Mom, I can't do this anymore. It hurts so, _so _bad. And I know that you wouldn't want me to think of you and feel like sobbing… but I just can't help it; because you're still not here, and I'm still wishing for the opposite. And I even miss dad, mom, and I still have his letter folded up in my desk. I wish I could've at least said goodbye to him – like I did with you. Well… mom, I guess this is it for this particular letter. I'll try to write again soon. I love you so much, and I miss you._

_I really do._

_ -From your daughter, Lucy._

_P.S. – Please, wait for me; wherever you are. And if you're with dad, tell him I said hey._

Lucy let the pen fall to the desk with a clatter. She methodically folded up the light pink parchment paper and slid it into a white envelope and dating it, before throwing it onto the pile by her bed. She sat back in her chair and listened to the pounding rain outside, briefly wondering why Juvia was so upset, before brushing it off and standing up. She pushed her chair in and leaned down, picking up all of the envelopes and stacking them neatly into a small box, then setting the container back in its spot on her desk. Tiredly, she flopped onto her bed and sighed; staring out of her closed window and watching the rivulets of water drip down the glass.

"How come I can't cry?" She asked suddenly, talking to nobody in particular. Lifting her small hand to her face, she touched her cheek lightly and frowned.

_Isn't that how people show their emotions? By crying? Does that mean I don't love you as much as I should? Mom? Does that mean I don't care?_

Lucy's eyes seemed to sting a little, and she shut them tightly and buried her face into her pillow, listening to thunder roll outside. The hole in her chest seemed to tighten and for some reason Lucy felt as if she was choking, but she could still breathe fine. Taking in a shaky breath, she turned her head a little to the right and stared out the window just in time to see lightning crack across the sky menacingly, and she jumped slightly, only to relax when the thunder boomed again.

_That was pretty._

She wiped at her eyes and was surprised to feel that it was damp. Lucy frowned and felt hot tears streaking down her cheeks, and only then did she realize that her heartbeat was speeding up and her breath was quickening. The girl squeezed her brown eyes shut and shook her head, feeling the tears start to make her pillow damp, she let out a breath.

"Mom… dad... I love you both," She whispered, watching the rain streak down the window.

"_So much._"

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_A/N: Hey guys – I thought this fit the whole grieving thing. It wasn't overly emotional like Wendy, but it still showed that she missed and was still not over either of her parents' deaths. I don't know if I liked it as much as the others, but it was alright I guess. Tell me if you liked it, and this is the last chapter for this short little series thing. I have an idea for a new story, the first chapter might be out soon (wink wink).Thanks y'all! Reviews are delicious strawberry cakes – leave me some!_

_Update: I realize I left one question unanswered: Why is Juvia upset? Well, the whole guild is upset because some of their members are going through a hard time right now, and since the rain reacts to Juvia's emotions... it started to rain. :P Hope that clears things up a bit, sorry about that! XD_

**Animation art2000-2013: **_GAHHHH! Here you go! Hope you liked it xD_

**CelestialTitania: **_I could see how someone might think they're doing the same thing – and in a way, they are. But I had Natsu focus more on Igneel and remembering him, whereas Gajeel thought of Metalicana, but also focused a lot on his friends and Levy, and also his love (ow Gajeel don't hit me) for Fairy Tail. Whew, that was a long response, sorry! xD_

**AnimeDAngel: **_Thank you! And yes; he does seem smart! :P_


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